125 - Took Forever But Here It is!

[tbrown]

Pics of the first 125...

 

[tbrown]

Equipment photo dump just so I have pictures...

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

I may have to look into this a bit more. Finally got my phos below .1 but nitrates are at 25-30.

Of most interest to you (given your high N/P ratio) is that these bacteria are denitrifiers. They can remove a substantial amount of NO3 in this way, even after other bacteria eventually stop assimilating NO3 due to a lack of PO4.

 

[tbrown]

Of most interest to you (given your high N/P ratio) is that these bacteria are denitrifiers. They can remove a substantial amount of NO3 in this way, even after other bacteria eventually stop assimilating NO3 due to a lack of PO4.

And that's exactly why I'm still on the fence. I have decent NO3 and fairly low PO4. I'm afraid if I use it and the NO3 tanks I'll get mad nasty algae since I still have PO4. With that said though, NO3 is cheap to dose which is why I like the idea.

 

[tbrown]

Ok. I actually took some pictures tonight!

 

[Goaway]

Ok. I actually took some pictures tonight!

Hob filters? Did they ever give you any issues?

 

[Goaway]

Not filter. But hob overflow..

 

[tbrown]

Hob filters? Did they ever give you any issues?

Overflow box.

 

[tbrown]

Not filter. But hob overflow..

I've had some issues with algae clogging the baffles on occasion. I just check and clean them semi frequently.

 

[Stang67]

Is there a reason you chose not to drill the tank? This is cool looking for sure.

 

[Goaway]

Is there a reason you chose not to drill the tank? This is cool looking for sure.

My guess is, because it is scary.

One day, my husband will let me.

Waiting on seeing the 125 stocked.

 

[tbrown]

Is there a reason you chose not to drill the tank? This is cool looking for sure.

It's a glass tank. I already broke one of the 125s... Drilling glass is something my wife and I have messed around with a couple of times for other projects. We have never been successful - it cracked each time. I've used overflow boxes on all of my reef tanks on the past and haven't had any problems so it's basically the monsters I know vs, as @Mibu said, the scary one.

 

[Stang67]

Makes perfect sense.

 

[Goaway]

It's a glass tank. I already broke one of the 125s... Drilling glass is something my wife and I have messed around with a couple of times for other projects. We have never been successful - it cracked each time. I've used overflow boxes on all of my reef tanks on the past and haven't had any problems so it's basically the monsters I know vs, as @Mibu said, the scary one.

I had an over flow box on my last aquarium. It was a crappy setup. Only issue is as you stated earlier, keeping the grate clean. Other wise, never failed me when things turned off or back on. Many power outages in White Sands. I love the look of the setup.

 

[tbrown]

So the overflow box is a not wonderful design... I can deal with it but I have to prop it up 3" above the fish tank frame. It's an interesting design - the "baffles" are actually slots about 3" from the top and they're about 5" tall with an adjustable "cover" for the bottom portion of the slots. Turned on the pump and everything was great! Turned it off and the sump overflowed... The sliding cover or door does not seal so the water in my 6'*18" tank dropped 5"... Fairly quickly too. I put a 2*3 on the rim and raised the overflow so it works and only drops the tank about 1.5" now.
Unfortunately the impeller I got is too skinny and won't work for the Rio so I either have to buy a new pump or find an impeller that will work... In the meantime I glued it together with gel super glue - something coral Fraggers seem to have a plentiful supply of!
Also, I got something in the mail today!

Thanks @Aquarocks !

 

[tbrown]

Well, the impeller is going to be hard to find so I decided to order a bigger pump! The super glue "fix" is working for now, but the new pump will be in on Tuesday.

Also, I started soaking the rock. Hopefully we'll get the "die-off" finished before I put it in the tank and avoid some of the ugly stage.

 

[tbrown]

Alright, I siliconed the overflow. Time to let it cure and then test it out.

My new pump also came in yesterday so now I have everything I need to get the pump set up. Going to buy some PVC glue for the return lines and then (2) 1" slip to 1 1/4" tubing fittings for the drain lines. Time to tear down the freshwater tanks and move the tank inside and set it up. I guess that means finding a new spot for Pineapple as well.

The rock has been soaking for 4 days now and no Ammonia, Nitrite, or Nitrate so it must have been fairly clean.

 

[tbrown]

The weird part is that when I added water to rinse the rock I checked the salinity and it was at 1.012.

 

[Stang67]

The weird part is that when I added water to rinse the rock I checked the salinity and it was at 1.012.

That doesn't sound right. Maybe because it was used previously?

 

[tbrown]

That doesn't sound right. Maybe because it was used previously?

Yeah. I'm guessing they were soaked in saltwater for curing.